Inflatable globe and support therefor



Sept. 18, 1951 D. ELUOT 2,568 389 INFLATABLE GLOBE AND SUPPORT THEREFORFiled July '7, 1948 1 INVENTOR.

DWL'JZZZL'OZ readily and easily assembled or disassembled and I byreason of its simplicity can be manufactured and sold at a very lowcost.

It can now be readily understood that I have produced a uniquecombination in that the globe and its stem 3 are supported wholly abovethe bottom edge of the base 5. It is important that the globe 2 and itsstem 3 is supported above the lower edge of the base since thisstructural arrangement provides for upright stability of thecombination.

The overlapping of the slitted portions of the base provides a doublegrip of the twisted stem. 3 and thereby holds the stem most securely. Inaddition when the sheet material of the truncated cone is of resilientmaterial the'slitted portions engaging the twisted stem will tend toproduce a shearing tendency to further enhance thegripping and holdingaction of the stem.

The sheet material truncated cone retains the globe in a desiredposition and the twisted stem of the globe retains the formed or shapedcondition of the'truncated cone.

Not only can the present device be used as an educational device but canbe used as a novel toy as well as employed for displaying suitableadvertising indicia that may be carried by the inflatable globeand/or'the supporting base.

While I have shown the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to beunderstood that various changes in the size, shape and arrangement ofparts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of theinvention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination with an inflatable member having a twistedstem, atruncated conical supporting base for said inflatable member, said basebeing provided with means located above the lower edge of the base andcoacting with the twisted stem of the inflated member to support andretain the latter in its inflated condition, and simultaneously hold thebase in assembled truncated conical form, said base being formed from acircular disk of flexible material formed with a central opening and aradial slit extending from the central opening to the outer edge of thedisk and a pair of stem pinching registering slits formed in said disk.

2. In combination with an inflatable globe having a twisted stem, ahollow truncated conical base for supporting the inflatable globe, saidbase having registering radial slits in which the twisted stem of theinflatable globe is pinched for maintaining the globe inflated said stembeing located above the lower edge of the hollow base.

3. In combination with an inflatable globe having a twisted stem, atruncated conical base of sheet material for supporting the inflatableglobe,

said base having registering radial slits in which the twisted stem ofthe inflatable globe is pinched for maintaining the globe inflated, andfor simultaneously holding the base in assembled form 4 said stem beinglocated above the lower edge of said base.

4. In combination with an inflatable globe having a twisted stem, ahollow truncated conical base for supporting the inflatable globe, saidbase being formed from a single blank of flexible sheet material, theblank having a central opening, and a slit extending radially from thecentral opening to the outer edge of the blank, said blank havingadditional short radial slits on opposite sides of the aforementionedradial slit disposed in registration with one another when the blank ismanipulated to form the truncated cone, said twisted stem being disposedthrough the central opening in the base and pinched in the registeringslits for simultaneously keeping the globe inflated and holding the basein assembled form and securing the inflated globe on said base said stembeing located above the lower edge of the base.

5. In combination with an inflatable member having a twisted stem, atruncated conical base for supporting the inflatable member and its stemabove the lower edge of the base, said base being formed from a singleblank of flexible material, the blank being of circular configurationand having a central opening and a slit extending radially from thecentral opening to the outer edge'of the blank, said slit forming edgeportions which overlap when the blank is manipulated to form a truncatedcone, said blank having additional short radial slits arranged onopposite sides of the first mentioned radial slit, said last mentionedshort radial slits adapted to be disposed in overlapping registrationwith one another when the blank is in truncated cone formation,

sembled form and securing the inflated member over the central openingin the base.

6. In combination with an inflatable member having a twisted stem, atruncated conical base for supporting the inflatable member and its stemabove the lower edge of the base, said base being formed from a singleblank of flexible material, the blank being of circular configurationand having a central opening and a slit extending radially from thecentral opening to the outer edge of the blank, said slit forming edgeportions which overlap when the blank is manipulated to form a truncatedcone, said blank having additional smaller circular openings arranged onopposite sides of the radial slit, said blank also having additionalshorter radial slits that extend from the'respective smaller openings toa point adjacent the central opening, said smaller openings and theshorter radial slits adapted to be disposed in registering overlappingrelation with one another respectively, when the blank is in truncatedcone formation, the twisted stem being disposed downwardly through thecentral opening in the truncated cone and upwardly through theregistering smaller openings and pinched in the registering shorterradial slits, for simultaneously keeping the member inflated and holdingthe base in assembled form and securing the inflated member for restover the central opening in the base.

'7. A base for an inflated globe having a twisted stem, said basecomprising a single blank of flexible material, the blank being ofcircular configuration and having a central opening and a slit extendingsubstantially radially from the central opening to and through the outeredge of the blank, said slit forming edge portions which overlap whenthe blank is manipulated to form a truncated cone, said blank havingadditional smaller openings arranged on opposite sides of the radialslit, said blank also having additional shorter substantially radialslits that extend from the respective smaller openings to a pointadjacent the central opening, said smaller openings and the shorterradial slits adapted to be disposed in registering overlapping relationwith one another respectively, when the blank is in truncated coneformation.

8. A base constituting a support comprising a truncated cone, said basebeing formed from a single blank of flexible sheet material, said blankbeing of circular configuration and having a central opening and a slitextending substantially radially from the central opening to and throughthe outer edge of the blank, said slit forming edge portions whichoverlap when the blank is manipulated to form a truncated cone, saidblank having additional short radial slits arranged on opposite sides ofthe first mentioned radial slit, said short radial slits being adaptedto be disposed in overlapping registration with one another when theblank is in truncated cone formation, said short radial slitsconstituting double pinching means.

9. A base constituting a support comprising a truncated cone, said basebeing formed from a single blank of flexible sheet material, said blankbeing of circular configuration and having a central opening and a slitextending substantially radially from the central opening to and throughthe outer edge of the blank, said slit forming edge portions whichoverlap when the blank is manipulated to form a truncated cone, saidblank having in addition two short radial slits arranged on oppositesides of the first mentioned radial slit and extending inwardly throughthe outer edge of the blank toward its central opening, said shortradial slits being adapted to be disposed in overlapping registrationwith one another when the blank is in truncated cone formation, saidshort radial slits constituting double pinching means.

DAVID ELLIOT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 30,891 Abbot Aug. 11, 18681,206,867 Lewis Dec. 5, 1916 2,208,445 Bates July 16, 1940 FQREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 274,762 Great Britain July 28, 1927

